Cosmo Crowdfunding: Backer FAQs

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| Mike Halsey

Published November 5, 2018

As with any new product or crowdfunding project there are plenty of questions people have, so we’ll be expanding and updating this article regularly with all the answers to the questions you want to ask. Make sure to check back for updated FAQs, and if you see people asking questions about the Cosmo, please point them here.

NOTE: These are not official answers from Planet Computers, but are educated guesses and assumptions based on the production and rollout of the Gemini PDA, and from information that has been provided to us, to backers, and to the community by Planet Computers.

Backer and Finance Questions

No, because you’re backing development of a product in the Cosmo and not actually purchasing a product. As a result you will get a backer confirmation from Indiegogo confirming your pledge amount, but Planet Computers are unable to issue a receipt because anything you receive from them is a perk for being a backer, and not a sold product.

Yes, all the Gemini and Cosmo keyboard layouts can be found online on the Planet Computers website. If you have specific feedback on an international keyboard, you can email the company at hello@planetcom.co.uk.

There are periods during the development of any product when the core team are extremely busy, and as such there can be times when communication is sporadic, or perhaps non-existent. This can be frustrating for backers but rest assured that Planet Computers have not forgotten about you. Things are quiet because they’re working hard to deliver the Cosmo on schedule.

Times when the team are expected to be extremely quiet include during major trade shows such as CES at the beginning of January 2019 and Mobile World Congress at the end of February 2019, which they will be attending, and February / March / April 2019 when the Cosmo is anticipated to be entering production.

There are periods during the development of any product when the core team are extremely busy, and as such there can be times when communication is sporadic, or perhaps non-existent. This can be frustrating for backers but rest assured that Planet Computers have notforgotten about you. Things are quiet because they’re working hard to deliver the Cosmo on schedule.

Times when the team are expected to be extremely quiet include during major trade shows such as CES at the beginning of January 2019 and Mobile World Congress at the end of February 2019, which they will be attending, and February / March / April 2019 when the Cosmo is anticipated to be entering production.

When you back the Cosmo on Indiegogo, you might find that your country’s keyboard layout isn’t available as a choice. The reason for this is that Indiegogo only gives project owners limited options on each perk, so backers wanting less popular keyboard layouts need to select “Other”.

Planet have confirmed that they’ll ask all backers to choose and confirm a final keyboard layout closer to production.

The Gemini Indiegogo page stayed live even when backers were having their units shipped to them. While Planet Computers have not said anything about their plans for the Indiegogo campaign, it is highly likely the page will remain open long past the first month of crowdfunding.

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Delivery Questions

We understand it can be frustrating to have a low backer number, but to be told you’ll be late receiving your Cosmo. This will be because you have chosen a keyboard that is not UK, US, or Japan. The factory can only produce one country version at a time, so it is very likely all UK units will be made, then all Japanese units, then all US units, and then other countries afterwards.

This is why major technology companies such as Microsoft, Samsung, Dell, and HP release laptops in one country initially, and then gradually roll out that release to other countries. We can only ask you to be patient, as you have not been forgotten or overlooked.

Planet Computers aim to start delivering the Cosmo Communicator to backers in May 2019. Of course unforseen circumstances can crop up and deadlines can slip. The Gemini was delivered soon after its expected deadline however, and Planet Computers are working hard to get the Cosmo to backers on deadline.

It is very likely that the UK, US, and Japanese units of the Cosmo will be delivered first as these often represent the majority of backers, and the factory can only produce one country version of the Cosmo at a time. Other international variants of the Cosmo will be delivered later.

Possibly, depending where you are in the world. Planet Computers generally use distributors based in Hong Kong and the UK. This means that in some parts of the world, such as the EU, there will be no customs charges to pay (don’t forget the Brexit transition period runs until the end of 2020), but in other parts of the world there may, or likely will be a charge.

The amount of this charge will depend on local tax rates, and we will update this FAQ nearer to the time the Cosmo ships if we get any more information.

Planet Computers have confirmed that the external screen will display incoming calls, messages, and app notifications. They have also confirmed that the screen can be used to make calls by dialing, or to existing contacts with the Cosmo closed.

There is no word yet on third-party app support for the external screen.

Mostly, yes. Planet Computers and designers Therefore have made adjustments to the keyboard to accommodate the backlight. This includes some key reassignments that haven’t been confirmed yet. The new keyboard is also said to have a deeper travel than the current Gemini keyboard.

A full list of keyboards is available on the FAQs on the Indiegogo funding page. They are English UK, English US, Kana Japanese, German, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Croatian, Dvorak, Finnish/Swedish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic/Norwegian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swiss and Thai.

All the Gemini and Cosmo keyboard layouts can be found online on the Planet Computers website. If you have specific feedback on an international keyboard, you can email the company at hello@planetcom.co.uk.

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Cosmo Support

Yes. It is expensive and time-consuming developing products such as the Gemini and Cosmo, not to mention the time it then takes to build a distributor network worldwide and sell enough units to make everything worthwhile financially. There is no doubt that both the Gemini and Cosmo will be supported for a few years after their release.

Gemini and Cosmo

This is a very subjective question, but can sometimes be answered by looking at the differences between the two devices.

Fundamentally the Cosmo is designed to be used as both a phone and a handheld computer. While the Gemini has phone functionality it’s nowhere near as easy to use. If you want to use the device as a phone, get a Cosmo.

If you’re only after a device for Linux use then a Gemini will probably be a safer bet. You won’t need the telephony features, and at full price the Gemini is around $200 cheaper than the Cosmo.

The things that can disrupt this however are features that are exclusive to the Cosmo, such as its backlit keyboard. If this would be helpful to you, then a Cosmo it must be. Equally, if you’re prefer more memory and more storage, then that too would make you choose the Cosmo.

No, underlying hardware differences mean that the Gemini and Cosmo will run different firmware and OS versions. The Mediatek chipset in the Gemini also doesn’t currently support Android 9, though Planet Computers are actively investigating ways to bring Android 9 to the Gemini. The Cosmo will run Android 9 at launch.

Yes, the Cosmo will go on sale alongside the Gemini, which will continue to be sold in both its Wi-Fi and 4G (LTE) variants. This means support for the Gemini will continue, and Android 8.1 is expected to be released for the device by the end of 2018.

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Cosmo Accessories

Yes, there will definitely be a user guide for the Cosmo and it will be ready for release when the Cosmo is shipped to backers. It will come as a free PDF download, as well as being available in paperback to backers as a perk, and through Amazon.

Probably not, as it’s difficult to add new things to a product like the Cosmo during development. It is very likely that accessories such as a leather case, and other perks such as the paperback edition of the Cosmo User Guide will appear in the coming months.